Chapter 6: Men Are Jerks

Robin's Point of View

"Maria," he whispered softly, "Maria. We are almost at the castle."

She looked up at him and murmured a groggy "Really?"

She then righted herself from the way she was asleep on Robin's chest. Immediately he missed the warmth that was there. He was still able to inhale her scent. It was soft with a subtle hint of vanilla. He breathed in a little deeper every time.

"I can't believe I slept so long." she said.

Robin couldn't help the slight laughter that escaped.

"You were out almost instantly."

"Really? I slept the entire ride back?"

"Yup. It was kinda cute. You kept saying something though I couldn't quite make out what it was."

If he could have seen her face, he would have fallen off his horse laughing. She was almost as red as the roses growing wild.

"Tell me princess. What is it you were dreaming of?" He whispered into her ear again.

He loved how she shivered when he did that. He didn't know if she noticed but she would lean back into him slightly every time.

"You are so enticing, Princess."

"What do you mean?"

"You had every male at your beck and call last night."

"Don't be foolish. I did not."

"Are you blind, Maria? Or just being stupid?"

"Don't be a jerk, Robin. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Sure, Princess."

It was almost like he was intentionally making her angry. She growled almost as ferociously as Wrolf. He could've laughed if it hadn't been directed at him.

The two made it up to the castle and as Maria slid off the horse, refusing Robin's attempts at being gentlemanly, she glared at him. He just sighed. He led the horses to the stables and Maria went to collect her things. Robin was still in the stable rubbing down Bravoure and giving him fresh hay while the groomsmen was tending to Periwinkle's cracked hoof. While he was working, he was thinking.

I probably shouldn't have said that the way I did. I probably should go apologize. Sometimes she is so sure of herself, I would swear she knows what it is she does to me, and the other men. He growled at that thought. Then other days she is so naïve and it's like she doesn't even realize that a well timed smile can send us all reeling. She can't be so naïve to the attentions of men, can she? Surely not. She has been around De Noir castle enough to not be so naïve. Stupid girl. She has to know.

After basically convincing himself it was her fault, he set off to his room to change. He was sure she was going to need an escort home.

Maria's Point of View.

She refused Robin's help. She could do this herself. She slid down off Bravoure's back. She never even faltered and she gave Robin and indignant glare.

Stupid Men! UGH! I don't even know what he is talking about! Why does he act like such a horse's behind?

She headed to her room and gather her dress from last night, the necklace and the shoes that she wore. Looking around the room, she made sure that she had everything. She slipped out of the dress she was wearing into the one Loveday had left for her. Throwing the dress Robin had commissioned for her onto the bed, she stormed out. She was a very angry woman. Just by looking at the scowl on her face, most men stayed away from her. Except one. Jacob came up to her and grinned.

"Maria, are you upset?"

She glared at him.

"Leave me alone. I am going home."

"Well, let me escort you. Think of it as my apologies for last night. I was drunk and jealous. I really don't have a problem with Robin and Loveday anymore."

"Very well."

She was keeping her responses snide and short.

"I really am sorry, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry. It is befitting of your station though. Where is Robin? Uncle Coeur was talking about how he was taking you on a picnic."

"I don't really know nor do I care."

"What happened? Last night you were defending him so vehemently and now…"

She sighed and looked at the trees surrounding her.

"We got into a fight because he was being a horse's ass."

"I don't think I have ever heard a real lady use that kind of language." he laughed.

"The ladies of the De Noir court talk like that all the time."

"With the exception of Loveday and her and Robin's late mother, there are no real ladies in the De Noir court."

She didn't reply.

"Tell me about London. That's where you're from, right?"

"Yes it is. London is beautiful, but in a very different way from the valley. There are many places to dine, there is the opera house, they have weekly balls to attend. There are a lot of differences in the two. The country side is more appealing to me now than it was when I first came here though. I hated it here."

"If you don't mind my asking, why?"

"My father died in a gambling ring. Even though he was honorable and fought for his country as a Colonel, he didn't have the ability to fight his gambling addiction. I lost everything. From the house I grew up in to everything in it. I was supposed to start a boarding school that was elite and hard to get into. With Mrs. Heliotrope's help I was able to make it. I had worked hard for it. After he died, we had no way to afford it, and I was sent here to MoonAcre. Before I moved here, my hobbies consisted of the utmost ladylike things. Opera, needlepoint, the like. I was not taught to love the country."

"Oh. I can see why you might have been scornful of it."

"It didn't help that every time I turned, I had a group of oafs attempting to kidnap me. And at the beginning, I had no idea why."

"Yeah."

"I remember seeing Robin in London. I was attending my father's funeral and I walked over to place a rose on my mother's grave. He was standing on the outskirts in a gazebo built for mourners. They followed me here all the way from London."

"I believe it wasn't too long after that, Robin came back bearing a horrible cut across his hand."

"Classical French Needle Point has yet another use other than just décor purposes apparently."

They both laughed at this.

"I think Robin was in love with you the first moment he saw you to be honest. After that trip, he was a lot more brooding than normal. He was always trying to think of new ideas to kidnap you. Though I think that had more to do with his father than him. I know for a fact that there were time that you were in the forest that he could have kidnapped you and didn't. Like when you first headed to Loveday's. He beat you to the castle by about fifteen minutes."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He did. When we were out in the forest the first time, when you released that rabbit,"

She broke in and stated,

"That wasn't an ordinary rabbit. It was a MoonAcre hare. By far the more beautiful, brave and serene creature."

"That hare, then, when we had you surrounded and you were brave enough to tell us off while smacking me upside the head,"

"Sorry about that."

"I think that demon dog of yours did more damage. Though he isn't exactly a dog, is he? Well, it was obvious that you had him intrigued. Girls don't stand up to him, call him names or fight him away. They swoon at his title and fall at his feet. You are the first girl who hasn't done that. You kicked him when we were taking you to the dungeon. What girl in her right mind would think about attacking her jailer as he was putting her in? He was being honest when he said he admired your spirit. We all did. It was funny as hell though. I was glad I wasn't him at that moment though. I had enough of getting beat up by you and your lion dog."

They both laughed at that.

"Wrolf really isn't that vicious, you know."

"Maybe not to you."

They were so busy laughing and having a good time walking back to MoonAcre neither of them noticed that they were being followed.

Robin's Point of View

He walked into his room to change, figuring that Maria as in her room waiting for him to apologize. He changed and started debating what he should say. He had been an ass to her. Sighing, he walked over and knocked on her door.

"Maria. Open the door."

No answer.

"Maria, I'm sorry. Just open the door."

Still nothing.

"Maria. I'm coming in."

Still he received nothing but silence. He opened her door only to find her stuff cleaned out and the dress he had made for her thrown over the bed. She must've been walking home. Then he remembered the man from last night. He frantically ran over the castle grounds. One of the sentry men stopped him and asked what was wrong.

"I can't find Maria!" He almost shouted.

"She was headed home. Jacob offered to escort her..."

He didn't hear anything after Jacob. Tearing off into the woods, he left the sentry man behind him in a dust of dirt. Robin didn't trust Jacob. He just knew that Jacob would be turning her against him.

He's probably telling her about all the women I have been with just to turn her against me. There is no telling what he is saying to her. This is going to end badly. I swear if Maria hates me after today, I will kill him personally.

He continued on with his rant until he came up on the exact spot that his cousin and his love were at. Only what he saw wasn't what he expected.

Next Chapter, Blood Debts